More fire evacuations ordered near Lakeview in the Barry Point fire

View full sizeMarty Dillavou/Incident Management TeamCrews use thermo gel to protect homes in the Drews Reservoir area where homes are threatened by the Barry Point fire.

Officials asked more residents near Lakeview to evacuate their homes late Wednesday as firefighters battling the big blaze stradding the Oregon-California border brace for an expected pickup in winds on Friday.

At 9 p.m., the Lake County Sheriff’s Office asked residents of two homes located below a ridge about 20 miles west of Lakeview to leave as the fire approached the rim. Members of one household evacuated but a man living in another home decided to stay and help fight the fire, said Lucinda Nolan, a spokeswoman for the Barry Point fire.

“He stayed out there with the crews,” she said.

Right now, the Barry Point fire is the first priority for firefighters in Oregon. More than 200 structures are threatened, and dozens have been asked to evacuate. The fire pushed rapidly south on Wednesday, growing by 25,000 acres to 85,000 acres.

Firefighters built lines around the Crowder Flat Guard Station and the Willow Creek Ranch, saving both. Lines were built in the Drews Reservoir area as well. If those lines hold through Friday, residents who’ve been told to evacuate might get a go-ahead to return this weekend, Nolan said.

Clouds and moisture moved in on Thursday, giving firefighters some relief. But crews are preparing for a kick-up in westerly winds on Friday and Saturday along with thunderstorms that could increase the fire activity on the east flank.

Burning through timber and sagebrush, the fire is 30 percent contained. Crews are working on organizing a public meeting Friday night in Alturas in Northern California.